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The Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP), the Government of Sweden, Leadership Group for Industry Transition (LeadIT), and Sida had to the privilege of jointly hosting the Industrial Transition Study Tour in Sweden and Norway. 

We welcomed many of our client countries, Brazil, Egypt, Mexico, India, Namibia, South Africa, Türkiye, the Philippines, and Vietnam.
 

The tour combined high‑level policy dialogue with site visits to first‑of‑a‑kind (FOAK) projects in green steel, cement (with CCS) and green fertilizers, offering concrete insights into what it takes to decarbonize hard‑to‑abate industries at scale.

🔑 Some key takeaways:

✅ Industrial decarbonization works when anchored in strong, predictable policy frameworks—including carbon pricing (EU ETS), net‑zero targets, and aligned taxonomies—combined with access to clean, affordable power.
✅ FOAK projects require blended public–private risk sharing. In all projects visited, the Government was an investor.
✅ Value‑chain coordination matters. Organizing producers, off takers, financiers, and regulators helps absorb green cost premiums, often with limited impact on final consumer prices.
✅ Permitting, community engagement, and local benefits are decisive. Early dialogue, transparency, and tangible socio‑economic benefits (jobs, infrastructure) can significantly accelerate project delivery.
✅ Demand creation is as important as supply. Green public procurement, contracts for difference, standards, and certification schemes are essential to scale markets for low‑carbon industrial products.

Beyond technology and finance, one message stood out clearly: trust and coordination between governments, industry, and communities—built early and sustained over time—are fundamental to success. Although Sweden and Norway built this over decades, emerging markets will need to move faster.

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